Visitors to an Upland tattoo shop found a way to give back while getting inked this holiday season.

Jake Morel has a steady hand and focus as he inks a skull for a patron who donated a $40 toy benefitting Steven’s Hope for Children at Breakthrough Tattoo in Upland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Jake Morel inks a skull on a leg for a patron who donated a $40 toy benefitting Steven’s Hope for Children at Breakthrough Tattoo in Upland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A couple times in the afternoon, people had to wait outside to get a flash tattoo in exchange for a $40 donated toy benefitting Steven’s Hope for Children at Breakthrough Tattoo in Upland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Steve Wynn of Garden Grove loves his mom and it shows. He gets “Mom” within a heart inked on his left arm. All his tattoos where done by Breakthrough Tattoo’s artist/owner Chris MacCharles. The shop held its 7th annual toy drive benefiting Steven’s Hope for Children. Photographed at the Upland, Calif. business Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Breakthrough Tattoo customers gave an unwrapped toy of $40 and in exchange they chose a flash tattoo (pre-designed), a value about $150 at the Upland, Calif., shop Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The drive benefits Steven’s Hope for Children. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Urijab Fazer, 4, of Upland touches the donated swag benefiting Steven’s Hope for Children charity drive at Breakthrough Tattoo’s in Upland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. Those who donated a $40 toy received a tattoo. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Breakthrough Tattoo artist Bryan Gillott inks a swallow on Shawn Roster of La Verne who donated a toy of more than $40 to support Steven’s Hope for Children. The shop’s 7th annual toy drive for charity was held in Upland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

“We’ve tried to do a toy drive every year we’ve been in business,” said Breakthrough owner Chris MacCharles.

Last year, during its sixth year in business, the shop tried something more involved than just letting people stop by and drop off toys. Trading toys for tattoos was a hit.

“We had over 100 people show up last year,” MacCharles said. “I want to say it was over $2,000 value in toys. We had three full trucks of toys to take to Steven’s Hope. They were shocked when we showed up.”

The shop asked patrons to come by with a new and unwrapped toy worth at least $40, and in return, they got their choice of more than 100 pre-designed tattoos (also known as “flash”) worth about $150. The designs were created in the interests of letting five tattoo artists do a dozen or more tattoos each in a day.

Last year’s toy drive attracted a wide array of customers looking to get inked.

“We’ve got every walk of life walking in. You’ve got everyone from your grandmother, to your doctor, to your lawyer, to bikers,” MacCharles said. “I’ve been tattooing almost 20 years, but I haven’t had that much fun in the last 15 years, and I didn’t make a dime.”

Breakthrough staff specifically looked for local charities that could use extra help. They found it in the Upland-based Steven’s Hope, which supports the families of seriously ill children who have prolonged stays in specialized hospitals that are sometimes far from home.

Beau Yarbrough wrote his first newspaper article taking on an authority figure (his middle school principal) when he was in 7th grade. He’s been a professional journalist since 1992, working in Virginia, Egypt and California. In that time, he’s covered community news, features, politics, local government, education, the comic book industry and more. He’s covered the war in Bosnia, interviewed presidential candidates, written theatrical reviews, attended a seance, ridden in a blimp and interviewed both Batman and Wonder Woman (Adam West and Lynda Carter). He also cooks a mean pot of chili.